The standard Western diet is high in fats and sugars. Most processed food are sweetened to improve the taste and increase the potential you will purchase it again. However, not all foods are sweetened with white cane sugar. Manufacturers also use high fructose corn syrup and a variety of processed sweeteners, such as aspartame, or NutraSweet. White sugar contains 15 calories in a 1 tsp. serving, while aspartame contains 10.5 calories in the same size serving. Aspartame is also less expensive for manufacturers to use in their foods.
Aspartame
Aspartame is a very sweet chemical substance that is used as an artificial sweetener because less has to be used to achieve the same degree of perceived sweetness in the product, thus reducing the number of calories consumed. According to GreenFacts.org, it was discovered in 1965 and entered the market in 1974. The authorization by the FDA was suspended several months later to finalize studies, and it was reintroduced in 1981. Aspartame is also marketed under the names Equal, Benevia and NatraTaste.
Side Effects
In a review of the research literature, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published findings that aspartame has been linked in a strong, statistically significant manner with the accumulation of formaldehyde in the body, to fibromyalgia, brain tumors and memory loss. Interestingly, a review of the research literature has revealed that studies funded by Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, demonstrated no side effects 100 percent of the time in 74 different studies. In comparison, 92 percent of the studies which were independently funded identified side effects and adverse effects.
Links to Heart Disease
While aspartame has a long list of neurological side effects, it also has been linked to hypertension, sudden cardiac death and pulmonary hypertension. Dr. James Bowen believes evidence points to aspartame as the toxin responsible for sudden death with a combination of strenuous athletic activities and the activation of vasopressin in the hypothalamus following the ingestion of aspartame-sweetened foods. Roberts writes in the "Texas Heart Institute Journal" that cardiopulmonary side effects have been noted for more than two decades. In his patient database of 1,200 weight-conscious women, he found that 9 percent, or 110 women, had shortness of breath as a major symptom of aspartame side effects. In none of the cases could the shortness of breath be attributed to previous heart or lung disorders. Primary pulmonary hypertension was found in a 27-year-old woman in an autopsy who presented with the same symptoms attributed to aspartame.
Warnings
Aspartame is made from aspartic acid, an amino acid that raises blood levels of aspartate and glutamate. This excess will slowly begin to destroy neurons in the brain and cause a myriad of neurological symptoms, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola at Mercola.com. The other two chemical components are phenylalanine and methanol, or wood alcohol. Together, these chemicals are responsible for significant neurological side effects, rapid heart rate and high blood pressure.
References
- GreenFacts.org: Scientific Facts on Aspartame
- Food and Drug Administration: FDA Dockets Submittal
- Dorway: Aspartame Studies
- "Idaho Observer": "CDC Reports Sudden Cardia Death"
- Texas Heart Insitute; "Aspartame Disease: A Possible Cause for Concomitant Graves' Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension"; J. Roberts; 2004
- Mercola.com: Aspartame is, by far, the Most Dangerous Substance on the Market that is Added to Foods
